ILOILO CITY, best known for its delicacies such as batchoy, kansi, and luscious desserts, has made it to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network for gastronomy.
The Western Visayas capital joins 54 other cities on the list, which ”were acknowledged for their strong commitment to harnessing culture and creativity as part of their development strategies and displaying innovative practices in human-centered urban planning,” the UN cultural agency said on the occasion of World Cities Day on October 31.
This brings the UCCN membership to 350 in more than one hundred countries, representing seven creative fields: crafts and folk art, design, film, gastronomy, literature, media arts, and music.
”This is truly a proud moment for every Ilonggo and Filipino as we finally got included in the prestigious list of cities worldwide for the UNESCO Creative Cities Network,” the Iloilo City government said in a statement.
”Iloilo is the very first city in the Philippines to make it to the gastronomy category and the country’s lone official entry this year.”
UNESCO said the newly designated cities will cooperate with UCCN members to strengthen their resilience in the face of evolving threats such as climate change, rising inequality, and rapid urbanization.
